Forever Wild
by BbyWhoresnop
Summary: Lily is a sheltered middle class girl about to go into her senior year of high school. Follow her through her last month of summer vacation and into the adventure that is her senior year. She'll find love, and heart break, and possibly find out that what she was looking for the whole time was right beside her. Mostly fluff. Rated M


Forever Wild  
Chapter One  
Summer Nights

Lily's POV- July 1967

It was particularly hot and humid, even for this time of year. I bunched up my nose and curled my lip up in a manner that, I'm sure, made me look like a glorified two-year-old. I felt a bead of sweat roll along my temple, down my jawline, coming to rest on my neck. This was the second time just this summer that our A/C had gone out, and I finally determined that it was probably cooler outside than inside this stuffy house.

I slipped my shoes on and pattered down the steps and into the living room where my mother lounged on the couch fanning herself with the newspaper. She had one more week of summer vacation before she had to be back at work to get stuff ready for the next school year. She works as an assistant in the office. I have another month.

"Mama, can I walk down to the DX and get a coke? I'm suffocatin'," I all but whined. She laughed at my dramatization, but I wasn't really kiddin' all that much.

"I don't know sweetie," She drew out with her eyes still closed, "it's kinda' too hot to be walkin' around."

I sighed. She's like this, so over protective. She didn't want me getting too hot, or wandering too far from the house, or hanging around anyone she didn't know. I know it's just because she loves me...we're all each other have in the world...but it sure can be annoyin' sometimes.

"Well, that's kinda the point, mama. A coke would be the perfect thing to cool me off! And it's just down the road, it ain't far!"

She finally let her eyes open, just barely, and peeked over at me. I could tell she was going to give in. I hate to sound spoiled, but she usually did. We didn't have a lot of money, so I never had the privilege of being spoiled with material things, but boy could I get my way with anything else. Guess that kinda' ties into the whole "just being me and her" thing. See, my papa died when I was just a little girl..4 years old to be exact. Wrong place wrong time..he walked into gas station to buy me some candy. Only he was walking into a robbery and was shot and killed on the spot. I remember bits and pieces of him...like I don't remember what he looked like, but I remember his voice reading me bedtime stories. And I don't remember what his cologne smelled like, but I remember how safe I felt in his arms.

"Okay, go, but don't lolly-gag. I don't want to be worryin' about you," My mother sighed and held her arms up telling me silently to give her a hug.

"Thanks, mama! I love you!" I hollered, not waiting for a response before I was running into the kitchen and grabbing a couple bills out of our change jar.

The walk to the DX really wasn't all that long, but it felt like centuries what with it being so hot. I was so relieved when I walked in and felt the A/C that I felt my shoulders sag and I closed my eyes for the smallest of seconds.

"Hey there! Can I help you?" I heard a sweet, soft male voice say. What a peculiar way to describe a guy's voice..but that's what it was!

My eyes popped open so quick it about made my head spin. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw two boys sitting at the counter. Well..one was a boy..dressed in a powder blue DX shirt, obviously where the sweet voice came from. The other was more of a man, though he didn't look all that much older. He just had a different air about him. But lordy were they both good looking. I could feel my cheeks burning, even under the A/C, as I took a little too long to respond.

"Uh...no, no I'm okay. Just grabbing a soda," I said with a small smile. They both shared a look and a small chuckle. I stumbled over my own feet as I tried to escape before I embarrassed myself further.

I may have taken longer than was reasonable to get my Coke. I was trying to figure out how in the world I was going to walk up to that counter and pay for it without making a giant fool out of myself. I'm shy by nature, a minor character flaw, but at this precise moment it was causing my blood to roar in my ears and scald my cheeks in the form of a furious blush. I finally gathered myself and decided I'd make it as quick as possible with as little talking as I could manage without coming off as rude. The boy was smiling as I approached the counter, but the other male was already gone.

"Find everything you need?" With a smile of course. Gosh his teeth sure were white. If the power ever goes out in his house I bed all he'd have to do is smile and he'd be able to see just fine. I internally shook the thoughts out of my head and gave a polite smile and nod. I guess he wasn't going to let me off that easily, though.

"Have we met before? I feel like we have but I just can't seem to place it. You go to Will Rogers?"

"Yeah," I said with a small smile, "I'm going into my senior year this year. Were you a senior last year? That would explain why we never really met."

His smile faltered just a bit as he rang up my soda and took my money.

"I would've been a senior this year too. I dropped out."

"Oh! Well that explains it too!"

His smile returned, "Name's Sodapop! Sodapop Curtis!"

As tempted as I was, I didn't make any comments about his name being unique, even though it was. Just because I bet he gets that plenty and it would bug me after a while. I think he appreciated that. I also think he appreciated that I didn't seem phased by him saying he had dropped out, though I don't know why it would bother me. It's none of my concern, and I can only imagine that he had his own reasons for doing so.

"I'm Lily...my name's Lily," I internally cringed. Why did I say it twice?! I glanced up at the clock and realized I'd already been gone for nearly twenty minutes. Mama was going to flip her lid. "I really need to get going, nice meeting you Sodapop!"

I gave a small wave over my shoulder as I walked towards the door. He looked like he had more to say, but chose to smile and wave back instead. My cheeks were hurting from grinning all the way home. That boy sure was good lookin', and seemed sweet enough. Mama wasn't as upset as I thought she would've been. She just told me to be more mindful of the time next time because she knows me and knows how I can get a bit lost in thought sometimes. I didn't bother telling her about the boy down at the DX. She goes there all the time for gasoline, so I imagine she's already seen him. Anyway, a boy being nice doesn't exactly give reason to run home and tell mama all about him.

The sun was sinking lower to the ground as I got up to my room and I was thankful. I sat on my windowsill and watched the sky turn from blue to orange..then to pink and purple and, eventually, black with little paint spatters of white. I decided now would be a good time to call up Cherry.

Cherry was my best and only friend. She's a little more high up on the social ladder than I am, but she never treats me poorly or like I'm less than her. Only, these days she's more preoccupied with that boyfriend of hers, Bob. He's nice enough, but they go out on dates all the time and I hate being the third wheel, so I don't get to spend as much time with her anymore. That's okay though.

I dialed her number and she picked up on the second ring, "Hello?"

"Hey, Cherry!" I lilted. We talked for a while, just little chit chat things like me asking how things were going with Bob, her telling me about their most recent date, her asking what I did today. I finally had to break down and tell her about the boy at the gas station.

"Oh you mean Sodapop? I can't believe you've never noticed him before. Girls line up at that gas station just to see him. Can't say I blame them," She giggled a little bit as I gasped.

"Well I guess I just don't focus on boys as much as _some _people!" We both laughed. It was true though..especially when it came to school. I don't know how some people keep up their grades and maintain relationships. If I lose focus for even a second I can't keep up with the rest of the lesson.

After a chatting a bit more we said our goodbyes and got off the phone to get ready for bed. I went and sat at my vanity and studied myself in the mirror as I brushed the knots out of my hair. It was curly, too curly, and dirty blonde. I didn't like that..I wish it would either just be blonde or brown, not this weird color in between. My eyes were green and little freckles dotted my cheekbones and nose. The summer sun had given my skin a pretty glow, but that was about all I had going for me. I wasn't ugly, but I sure wasn't beautiful. Not like Cherry. No way someone like Soda would go for someone like me. His friend sure wouldn't.

I'd forgotten all about his friend. I made a mental note to ask Cherry if she knew who that was the next time we talked.

_AN: Hey, yall! I'm really excited to get the ball rolling on this story! Let me go ahead and say I have NO IDEA who Lily's going to end up with. Soda? His mysterious "friend"? Speaking of, who do yall think that friend is? Please leave a review and I promise I'll update pretty quickly! Also, fun facts.. my daughters name is Lily, and her baby sisters name is Cherokee, but we call her Cherry. Ain't that funny! _


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